My rifle is consistently shooting 8 inch groups which is less than desirable. Assuming it's not the shooter, I've been looking at various possible issues and have found that the possible causes are nearly infinite and likely more expensive to have fixed than simply buying a new gun.

That said I am still considering self help ideas and had some questions. All input is appreciated.

First, I just tried "the dollar bill test" which my gun failed miserably. So I am considering doing some filing on the wood stock.

Second, I have also read about glass and pillar bedding and would consider doing one or both of these if there is a likelihood of increasing accuracy.

My questions, then, are as follows:

1. Are free floating and bedding done together or are they alternatives to each other? It seems to me that bedding will simply re-establish contact between the stock and the barrel.
2. Is there any signficant benefit to doing both glass and pillar bedding? Glass bedding looks like it could be done fairly easily but I'm not sure I have the right tools for pillar bedding.
3. Besides these potential fixes and making sure the gun is clean, checking scope mounts and experimenting with different loads, are there any other fairly simple things to do that might improve accuracy?

Thanks!